THE WESTERN Bulldogs' search for a key forward has ended with former Swan Barry Hall to play with the club from 2010.

The much talked about trade was a little while coming but was completed on Tuesday morning, with the Bulldogs acquiescing to the Swans' demand for a third-round draft pick.

The clubs will also swap deep draft picks as part of the deal, with details to be confirmed later in the exchange period.

A clearly relieved Hall said he had feared the negotiations would stretch throughout the week.

"It was a tense couple of days. I thought it would get done with a couple of minutes to go on Friday," he said.

"The uncertainty is out of the way now, which is great, and we can look forward to setting up down here and crack into training. The hard work begins now, and I'm really excited.

"I think it's a good fit for both parties, and I can't wait to get into it."

Coach Rodney Eade said the two-year deal was incentive based, but possessed no suspension-related clause should Hall offend on-field again.

Ultimately, Eade believes Hall will add more to the team than just an avenue to goal.

"It's a great result," he said. "A player of Barry's quality – I think what he brings to the group is more than just his playing ability, his experience and the way he can play.

"He's such a team-orientated person. I think he can mentor our young forwards as well so there's a dual role there for him. It's certainly pleasing to get it done early in the week."

Eade said Hall's primary role would be to "fit in" with Dogs' existing attacking structure, rather than dominate it.

"The key to Barry being a target was the fact he's such an unselfish player," he said.

"People have spoken about it the other way, if we got a tall forward, would it upset the dynamics of our forward line because we have six forwards who can kick multiple goals.

"The beauty about Barry is he can play different roles himself, he can lead up, play a decoy role, at full forward, on a flank. A whole range of things.

"That's not going to affect [Brad] Johnson, [Robert] Murphy, [Mitch] Hahn, [Shaun] Higgins, [Jason] Akermanis. They can all still kick multiple goals, and Barry's role is to fit into that mix."

Eade also said there had been no movement on re-signing full-back Brian Lake although the club remains confident he would stay with the Bulldogs.

The 2009 AFL exchange period runs from October 5-9. No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm on Friday, October 9.